


Rise and Fall

by JustAWritist



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Character Death, Drama, Lots of Angst, M/M, Minor Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith, Minor Character Death, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Minor Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Minor Violence, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Violence, too much- in fact
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-06 20:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6768091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAWritist/pseuds/JustAWritist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years ago, Sina City suffered from the disastrous Reiss Incident, when a madman named Rod Reiss attempted to level the city using his superpowers. He was stopped by a group of heroes dubbed the Survey Corp- but they took heavy losses and were disbanded soon after, with many of their members either missing, dead, or forced into retirement. Now, with the city’s superhero population in shambles, a new supervillain is rising up. It’s up to Eren, one of the ex-Survey Corp members, and his two partners-in-fighting-crime friends to stop him. Even if it seems impossible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty then *claps hands together* lets get this super-party started.  
> So I've really wanted to get back into the flow of writing. I tried it by forcing a plot out of a half-formed idea beforehand, and while I still plan to continue that, I realized that while I was only half-hearting it, it wouldn't work out.  
> So now it's time for _maximum effort_. (To anyone who gets the reference: bless you.)  
>  And also using a much more flushed out idea, which will help. Honestly, I'm also really pumped about this story because _I love superheroes._ And I adore writing action sequences.
> 
> But enough of my rambling:  
> Here's Rise and Fall!
> 
> Come talk to me:  
> goldie-the-cat.tumblr.com
> 
> Updates tagged:  
> fic rise and fall

The air whizzes around Eren’s head, whistling high-pitched tunes in his ears, as he weaves his way through the half-fallen houses of the Shiganshina district. The truth is, he’s not really flying. Eren’s power, the one that earned him the name Renegade four years ago, is to control the energy around him. It’s by pushing down on the energy below him that he’s able to shove himself upward, floating through the air. But to any normal person- or superhero who doesn’t know his power- Eren would appear to be soaring through the air, the only indication of his other power being the small red halo of energy that surrounds him.

Today, he’s on patrol, more specifically patrolling for one particular robber who's been causing a great deal of trouble. Ever since the Reiss Incident two years ago, Eren, his sister Mikasa, and his best friend Armin have taken to rebuilding the fallen Shiganshina District- their childhood home. Restoring homes decimated by Rod Reiss is only half of their actions, the other half comes from the random spurts of violent vigilantism or robberies by those who try to take advantage of Shiganshina’s fallen state. The district itself has become a haven for criminal organizations, and the trio have regained some level of fame by taking several of said organizations down. Because of their recent actions, the media has suitably dubbed them the Shiganshina Trio.

Eren shivers as he flies, but not from the cold wind that clings to his bodysuit. Mentioning the Reiss Incident will make anyone wince and cower, and in a way Eren hates that, it gives Reiss power. But Eren also understands the reaction more than anyone else-

Because he was a part of the Reiss Incident.

Eren slows his flight, his green boots landing softly on the stable part of a building whose left side is completely caved in. The streets are silent, the only noise caused by a pebble that falls from his impact and skitters down the rubble and into the cracked sidewalk.

 _Eren, are you there yet?_ Armin’s telepathic voice resounds in Eren’s head, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It would be creepy- but Eren’s known the sound of Armin’s telepathy for years now, especially so since his best friend’s powers developed at a surprisingly early stage.

 _Yeah._ Eren thinks back, half mouthing the words as he thinks them. He’s always felt odd just _thinking_ to speak, and wonders how Armin does it so fluently.

 _Cool, okay- I- er- hold on, Mikasa’s returning._ Eren feels the connection break, like a sudden silence descending on his mind, exemplified by a moment of hyper-awareness as the connection breaks before his mind readjusts to being by itself. Sighing, he takes a long stride off of the edge of the roof, and feels the tingle in his fingertips as the familiar red glow edges into the corner of his vision and around his body. His fall slows, and he watches the dust kicked up around him slow down as well, until it’s just a sluggish swirling of brownish red particles. He lands quietly, boots barely scuffling the ground. The energy fades, and all the dust affected in his vicinity picks up its normal descending pace. Eren turns around in the open faced house. The jagged broken brown bricks jut out of the sides of the house like teeth in a gaping mouth. A second story is visible only by shattered splintered wood. The right half of the building, however, seems to have been completely unaffected. Shadows and glass are spread over a wooden dining table tucked away in the far right corner, chairs circling it predatorily. A marble kitchen counter and rusted fridge are shoved closer to Eren, cabinets hanging open, swinging and empty- the house must have been raided long ago. A piece of paper is held against the fridge by a small green magnet.

Curiously, Eren saunters over to the paper. It’s torn and crudely drawn, the edges browned by time, but he sucks in a breath when he sees the image clearly drawn by a young child’s hand.

The Survey Corps, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin’s old group. Eren can make out each face, even blurred by smudging and poorly drawn to begin with. He immediately finds his own face, shown by the red circles around his hands and the green bodysuit with blue streamlined accents, green mask covering his eyes, though he never did do much to hide his face. Next to him is Mikasa, red scarf pulled over her nose, black tank top and army print cargo pants tucked away into blocky black boots- she never was one for fancy outfits. Armin’s navy jacket over a dark purple outfit is distinguishable on the other side of the group, blue-tinted goggles representing the electronic glasses he wears to amplify his telekinetic and telepathic powers. Eren’s eyes travel slowly over the rest of the group, faces he knew back then.

Jean, Marco, Sasha, Connie, Ymir, Annie, Bertolt, Reiner, Historia. Centaur, Benevolence, Huntress, Jester, Mercy, Mercanary, Goliath, Knight, Sunshine.

All of them- _all_ of them were taken in by the three veteran superheroes in the drawing, for one reason or another. Redemption, protection, survival, pity… reform. Once you entered the Survey Corp nobody cared how you got there. You were a part of the team. That’s how Eren felt, at least, when he was their newest recruit all those years ago. Taken in by the three, debatably insane, heroes who trained them all.

Erwin, Hanji… Levi. The Commander, Gadget, Twister.

And the veteran soldiers, those who didn’t lead the group itself but mentored all of them. Kind faces now turned blurry by the sepia stain of memory.

Mike, Nanaba, Petra, Oluo, Eld, Gunter. Hounddog, Midas, Sympathy, Silvertongue, Searcher, Shiv.

Maybe saying that they were a family would have been a bit of a stretch, but they were a team, first and foremost, before the Reiss Incident two years ago. Now Erwin is retired, Hanji only pops up now and then and in sporadic patterns, and Levi is-

_Bang!_

The sound of a gunshot makes Eren’s head snap around, and he stares at the street, arms tensed and fingers curled into fists. Nothing moves, not a speck of dust stirs in the still, warm summer air. Slowly, cautiously, Eren wanders towards the gaping mouth of the half-fallen building. He places one hand on the side of the wall and pokes his head around, brown hair falling into his eyes as he cranes his neck to look over without exposing himself.

 _Eren!_ Eren jumps when Armin’s voice resounds in his head. The connection snaps back into place and everything else becomes ever so slightly dulled as one mind speaks to another.

_Armin! Goddamn don’t scare me like that! I heard a gunsho-_

_Yeah,_ Armin cuts him off, _Uh, about that, it looks like Spider’s Nest in the area._

 _Armin…_ Eren grits his teeth together, quickly hiding behind the fallen wall while his eyes flicker out to the exposed street, _Please tell me this is a joke._

 _Um… it’s a joke?_ Armin doesn’t sound very convincing, even telepathically speaking. Another gunshot and a blur of buckskin and brown shooting out of the alleyway only further shakes the statement. Wait- buckskin and brown?

 _Ah fuck._ Eren sighs, _Jean’s here._

_Jean? Why is-_

_Armin I’d love to chat but taking into account the gunshot and the fact that Jean is here I should really focus._ Eren feels a mental nod, it’s like a shift in the air that you know isn’t fully there, but isn’t completely missing either. It’s trippy, weird, but it makes for yet another form of silent communication which is especially helpful if they’re fighting against another telepath. The connection cuts, and the moment of hyper-awareness descends upon Eren like a blanket.

Just in time for him to hear the footsteps of the man running up behind Jean, and notice that Jean has no clue that he’s about to be stabbed in the back with a knife.

Eren’s fingers tingle as the red energy surrounds them, then he darts forward, throwing his hands up as a crimson wall-like shield expands in front of him, the man dressed in ragged clothes with a torn mask over his face bounces harmlessly against the shield. With a push Eren sends him flying forward like a ragdoll. Jean spins around, mouth hanging slack in shock.

“Renegade? What the hell-“ Jean shakes his head, “Right, Shiganshina Trio.” He scratches the back of his head, the black mask that comes up from his beige uniform all but covers the ‘under’ part of his undercut. “Should’ve guessed I’d run into one of you… Just had to be you though, right.”

“Yeah, happy to see you too, Horseface.” Eren rolls his eyes, “And you're welcome for saving your ass back there.” At the mention of his nickname Jean’s nostrils flare in defiance- ironically like a horse.

“Don’t call me-“ Jean’s shut up by a primal scream, Jean’s head snaps back as a man in a similarly tattered white mask comes charging out of the alley way. He sets his jaw and charges at the man, becoming all but a blur of black and beige as his superspeed kicks in. The man raises a gun, but Jean’s blur darts to the side, the bullet whizzing harmlessly by, and he all but disappears completely. The man’s head rotates rapidly, looking side to side. His eyes land on Eren and trail past Eren to his unconscious comrade with wide eyes. Eren simply grins and gives a small wave, the man’s gun raises, but he doesn’t have time to shoot as Jean goes barreling into him, hand sweeping the man aside as he practically tosses him down the street. Jean then zooms back to where Eren was standing.

“ _As I was saying,_ ” He brushes stray dirt from his outfit, “Don’t call me Horseface.”

“The media seemed to like it,” Eren grins when Jean’s nostrils flare again, the visible upper half of his face turning red with anger. Superheroes names were usually either given to them by the media or by the people, and a superhero could go through two or three names before one started to stick. Of course some try to name themselves, but very few succeed when it comes to the people. Jean had always held it against Eren how on one of their first missions together, Eren used the nickname ‘Horseface’ to jab at Jean. Sadly for him, the media liked it, and thus he was dubbed Centaur.

“Anyway, Centaur,” Eren crosses his arms across his chest, side eyeing Jean while the majority of his attention is directed towards the streets, waiting for more Spider’s Nest goons. “Mind telling me why you’re going about angering one of the most violent groups of drug-dealing bastards this side of Shiganshina?”

“Why else? I’ve got a lead.” Jean retorts, already beginning to leave, walking towards the groaning body of the man Eren had knocked out before, the goon was slowly trying to stand, one hand clutching his nose as blood seeped from between his fingertips. Eren took a moment to process this answer, then his eyes widened.

“Je- er, Centaur,” Eren quietly catches himself from saying Jean’s real name aloud, “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh,” Jean says, grabbing onto the shirt of the man and slamming him against the hard wall of the building closest to them, “I’m dead serious.” He adds with a threatening glare in the man’s direction, whose face pales from behind the ragged cloth-like mask, made to resemble a spider-web. “And this guy’s going to give me all I need to prove to you just how serious I am.”

“I can’t tell ya anythin’ buddy,” The man speaks seriously, “No matter what you wanna know I- I swear I’m just’a lowly dropper I- I- I-“ Jean shuts him up by slamming the man’s head against the wall again. All pleads turn into painful moans, and Eren winces on the man’s behalf.

“It’s been two years, Centaur.” Eren begins slowly, “Vigilantism isn’t a bright or happy path,” Through gritted teeth he adds, “ _Trust me._ ”

“I’m not a vigilante!” Jean screams out the words, dropping the man, who immediately curls into a protective ball. “I’m not like you, _Renegade_.” Jean spits out the name like it’s a poison, “I know when enough is enough. But,” He continues, eyes narrowing into slits from behind the black mask, “I also refuse to give up.”

“He’s _dead_ ,” Eren’s voice raises as well, to a near scream, “They’re all _dead_ and you need to wake up and realize that!” Jean’s hands curl into fists at his side, “They’re dead, all of them! Mar-“ Eren’s cut off when a hand slams into his throat at superfast speeds, he skids back on the ground, coughing and gasping.

“Don’t you dare say his name.” Jean growls, low and predatory, “You don’t get to say his name like that.”

“Oh yeah,” Eren’s voice is raw as he gasps in air, regaining his breath, he stands, eyes narrowed, “Because I’m sure he’d be _thrilled_ to find out who you’ve become.” His eyes skitter over to the man, now standing and trying to make a hasty, but subtle, retreat, “You’re no better than I was, Centaur.” Jean turns and spies the man, now going full sprint for the exit. He sucks in an agitated breath and rushes the man, blurring before making to tackle and stop the man.

Not today.

Eren feels the familiar tingle in his fingers, running up his arms and in his toes rushing into his legs. The energy, once red, slowly turns orange, and then white at the edges. Eren launches himself forward like a rocket, forming a small pocket of energy in his hand before tossing it forward in a long bar. Jean’s body slams into the bar and flips over it, skidding against the cement before he flips onto his feet, sliding around to face Eren, who hovers just a foot off of the ground.

“You know, I’d say you shouldn’t have done that,” A slow smirk spreads across Jean’s face, “But honestly? I’m really glad you did.” Then Jean dashes forward again, making a break for Eren. Eren throws up an energy shield, but Jean skirts around it in a sharp turn, leaping and landing a punch against the side of Eren’s face. Eren careens back, thrown towards the building, but he stops himself and faces Jean, feeling a trickle of blood seep onto his tongue. Eren’s eyes narrow as Jean rockets towards him again. Eren flips over Jean, sending him crashing through the wall behind him. Then Eren lowers himself, tossing a beam of energy like a laser in Jean’s direction. It hits dead on and throws Jean onto his back, making the edges of his costume smoke with heat. He jumps to his feet, but Eren’s already flying towards him, Eren slams his shoulder into Jean’s chest, sending both of them back. Jean exhales as the air is forcefully pushed from his lungs, before grabbing onto Eren’s wrist and flipping him over Jean’s shoulder. Jean brings his knee up, landing a direct hit to Eren’s abdomen before striking his elbow down onto Eren’s back. Eren hits the floor, losing concentration as the glow of red subsides from his body. But he spins around on the ground, knocking Jean’s legs out from under him before he stands and kicks Jean’s jaw. Jean grabs onto the foot and shoots up, swinging Eren over and tossing him to the side, Eren stops himself mid-air by manipulating the energy around him. Once again floating above. Eren and Jean stare each other down, tension rising, then Jean’s hand reels back and Eren prepares an energy-based bomb before-

“Stop!” Both fighters look to the hole they’d made where a rather angry dark haired woman stands, foot tapping impatiently as her scarf is pulled up to her nose.

“Red Wolf,” Jean’s hand drops as he stares at Mikasa, bare arms crossed over her chest as she glares at Eren.

“Mikasa, I-“ Eren bites his tongue when Mikasa’s eyes narrow. She never was one for her superhero alias, which originated from one commenter saying the red scarf reminded him of Red Riding Hood, to which another replied that Mikasa was more reminiscent of the Wolf in the story. Even with the danger that came from exposing her real name, she’d never cared. Her eyes shift over to Jean.

“Centaur.” She states simply, before whipping back to Eren, “Renegade, Watcher needs you back at the base.” She steps forward, “ _Come back with me._ ” She emphasizes the words, preemptively canceling out any complaints Eren might’ve had. Eren looks over at Jean once more, who, upon Mikasa’s arrival, seems much more tame than he was before. He sighs, and nods.

“Fine, fine.” He trots towards Mikasa, casting one last glare over his shoulder to Jean, who easily returns the gesture.

“Goodbye Red Wolf,” Jean raises a hand weakly, Mikasa turns on her heels, effectively ignoring him. Jean’s smile falters for a moment at the rejection. Eren snickers to himself as he wanders outside, where Mikasa’s sleek black motorcycle stands, humming on standby. Mikasa pauses in the hole,

“Good luck Centaur,” She states quietly, before walking over to her motorcycle and slipping on her helmet. Eren goes aghast, watching her as she kicks the stand back and glances towards him, “Coming?” Eren nods, the energy surrounding him once more as she zooms off, down the road, Eren flying close behind. Both of them leaving Jean, standing there in the dust.

“You can’t be serious,” He speaks once he catches up to her, “Wishing him good luck like that? Do you even know what he’s trying to do?”

“Find Marco.” Mikasa replies, words muffled by the helmet, “And, yes, I was serious. It may be hopeless but at least it gives him a reason to keep going.” She leaves it at that, and so does Eren as he sighs and pulls up into the air above his sister. Watching from a birds eye view as she and the houses below become little more than specks while the clouds get ever closer. A trail of red energy left behind him like stardust in a comet’s wake. This wasn’t a new situation, and resolving a conflict between Eren and Jean was practically clockwork for Watcher and Red Wolf- Armin and Mikasa, that is.

Two years- has it really been two years? Two years and Jean’s still searching for a body they never found. Eren gave up hope on finding any of the missing long ago, they’re dead and that’s it. Even then, he’s still considered an optimist. Annie, Ymir, Reiner, Bertolt, Marco… Levi. The six of them who have gone missing after the Reiss Incident, no bodies found, all presumably dead or-

Eren doesn’t want to think of it. But he has to, when the accusations are flying every which-way. Even after two years of dead silence people still think that the six were in cahoots with Rod Reiss, and had planned the incident from the beginning, fleeing only when they saw that they were beaten.

Just let the dead stay dead.

They’ve suffered enough. Everyone has.

Eren grits his teeth as he flies, the sting of the air chill the only thing preventing him from slipping away into a familiar, unpleasant reverie. From up this high he can see the entire city, and crater nearly two miles wide surrounded by dead, scorched ground, the black remnants of the Reiss Incident that nearly destroyed Shiganshina and made it the crime haven it is today. All because of some madman’s crazy aspirations.

A deadly madman.

Rod Reiss was one of the most powerful super villains of Sina, he had an ability that was a lot like a combination of Eren’s and a lot like his friend Historia’s. Historia, or Sunshine, had the power to give and take energy from living creatures or plants. She and Eren were teamed up often because their powers worked so well together, Historia able to gather energy and send it to Eren, who would then utilize it as a weapon. Historia was also often responsible for healing the group the majority of the time, sapping energy from inconsequential things like a grass plain or flowers in order to heal more serious wounds. Rod Reiss, however, could both control energy, as well as take it from living creatures. And he was going to kill the entire city to create the ultimate weapon- himself.

The Survey Corp went to stop him, and in facing head to head they- well… they might’ve won on paper, but if it could have been considered a victory then it was their last victory.

Erwin, The Commander, took the death toll heavily, and that coupled with the loss of his arm rendered him and his precognitive abilities fightless. He retired and with his retirement disbanded the group. Hanji, Gadget, disappeared soon after. Their body might’ve survived the fight but nobody thought that _they_ survived the aftereffects. Eren would’ve helped them, really, he would’ve- but they disappeared and nobody knows where they’re hiding. With their leaders in shambles the group itself dissociated and lost contact.

Huntress and Jester, Sasha and Connie, became a crime fighting duo well-known in the upper east end of Sina, near the Rose Quarter. Eren of course went off with his friends, and that’s what got them here today. Historia retired herself, lots of people say she’s scared of her powers, after seeing what Rod Reiss did with essentially the same kind of abilities, but Eren feels as if she’s just sad, and misses Ymir, they were always closest with each other during their time in the Survey Corp. Jean… Jean denies he’s a vigilante but Eren knows that’s the path he’s headed down.

He would know. Eren was an outlaw before the Survey Corp turned him around.

He owed everything, _everything_ to them and now they’re gone. Disbanded, retired, missing or dead- and Eren’s not sure which is the worst possible outcome.

But as he lands in front of the old warehouse in the Stohess Docks that the Shiganshina Trio has converted into their hideaway, he knows he’s at least got his family with him. And compared to how the others ended up, Eren’s pretty damn lucky. The smell of sea salt and the sound of the bells ringing as they float on lapping ocean waves are all familiar sounds. Mikasa pulls up just behind him, killing the engine of her motorcycle as she removes her helmet, running a hand through her dark hair as it waves in the chilling bay winds.

“I’ll go put this in the warehouse, Armin’s upstairs, he wants to speak with you.” Mikasa tucks her helmet under her arm, tugging at the bandages on her left arm, the only remains of the last fight she’d been in.

“Wait, I thought he just didn’t want me to fight Jean?” Eren asks, eyebrows shooting up on his forehead, Mikasa shakes her head, taking the handlebars of the bike. Eren looks curiously towards the large grey door, the entrance to their hideaway, it must be something serious if Armin had Mikasa drag him all the way back here. Eren looks to question Mikasa further but she’s already disappeared around the corner. With a deep breath Eren grabs onto the handle and swings the door open. The warehouse looks empty at first, filled only with the strong smell of fish and a bunch of half-rotten wooden boxes. Eren strides confidently to the back of the cement building, where only a hairline crack identifies a shift in the wall, and even that is half hidden by the boxes. Eren reaches into the high neck of his outfit and pulls out the necklace he always wears, a key dangling at the end of it, and next to the key is a small sliver ring holding a blue button on the end, Eren presses the button and the hairline cracks in the wall expand, the groan of machinery bouncing off of the walls of the hideaway before the hidden door swings to the side, unveiling a steel staircase leading to the underbelly of the old shipping area.

The button, key, and door were all from Sina’s past, used as a part of the old smuggling operations that used to be so famous in Stohess Dock. Dozens of the seemingly innocent warehouses have secret doors activated by small buttons like the ones Eren, Mikasa, and Armin all have. As Eren descends into the open bottom part the signs of smuggling become obvious, the stairway is small, cramped, squished to take up as little space as possible and keep it unassuming. The room below is dank and humid, copper piping looping in and out of the ceiling and walls. A single wireframe bed is pushed up against the far wall, a coffee table shoved in front of it like a pseudo couch. On the other side of the room sits Armin, in front of a series of computer systems. He spins around in his chair as Eren enters, giving him a wide smile. Eren removes his mask, grinning at his friend.

“Hey, Armin, what’s up?” Eren inquires, plopping down on the squeaky wireframe bedding. It’s not the most elegant or even best lit of hideaways, but after the Survey Corp disbanded, they lost everything, and it was all the three of them could afford, even when pooling their money together. Armin’s smile fades into a serious look, he pushes the cyan tinted glasses onto his head as he rubs his bright blue eyes with pale hands. The glasses were designed by Hanji as one of their more famous gadgets that earned them their name, and they amplified Armin’s powers tenfold.

“Not good things, sadly,” Armin sighs, placing the glasses on the desk next to the bright computer screen. Armin was the Shiganshina Trio’s info gatherer and home-base operator, he could see everything without ever needing to leave the bunker, part of this tactical advantage was what created his name, Watcher. The other advantage to this was that he didn’t usually have to put on the uncomfortable superhero bodysuit, instead he worked in casual jeans and a t-shirt, blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun, like today.

“When is it ever?” Eren chuckles, leaning forward onto his knees, but his jokes die down when he takes another look at Armin’s lips, pressed together in a thin line as he wrings his hands together. By the concern on his face it must be something serious. Eren waits for his best friend to continue, worry growing by the second.

“There’s reports of a new supervillain,” Armin speaks slowly, waiting for the words to sink in. Frankly, so does Eren. The only perceptible difference is the way his hands tighten around each other at first. The last supervillain was Rod Reiss, after that all the others backed off in fear of what had happened. They always knew a new one would arise.

Eren didn’t know he’d feel like this. A deep pit of fire flaring up in his stomach, dragging his eyes into narrow slits, stiffening his shoulders and clenching his teeth as he waits for Armin to give him more information. Armin waits for a second more, gauging his friends reaction- although he doesn’t intrude and read his mind, Eren feels no connection. Armin turns around to the computer again, clicking as he pulls up several minimized tabs.

“People are starting to call him Harbinger,” He says, “Saying that this means there’s going to be another Reiss Incident and he’s a sign of it-”

“There _won’t_ ,” Even through the anger Eren speaks with conviction, “I won’t let them.”

“ _We_ won’t let them.” Armin corrects him, with a worried glance tossed over his shoulder to Eren. “He hasn’t done much yet, a robbery here and there, one hostage crisis, and three reported murders so far… he started getting attention when he used his powers.” Armin sighs, leaning his elbows against the desk, “Which… isn’t very clear, yet. Looks like the guy can travel through shadows? But the reports are conflicting.” Armin chews absentmindedly on the inside of his cheek, a nervous tick, “A few have said that he can utilize energy like you, one of the photos shows a dark purple ring around his body like you have, which would back up this theory… but there’s even more reports saying that he has control over the wind.”

“The wind?” Eren echoes.

“Yeah, weird, right?” Armin shrugs, “They say it’s because he can push people back with wind, even cut them with it, but that might just be energy manipulation again.”

“So where is he?” Eren looks up, standing as he goes to peek over Armin’s shoulder at the monitors.

“Well there’s a rumor he’ll end up in Rose Quarter tomorrow to stop the unveiling of the Reiss Incident memorial.” Eren’s eyes shoot over to Armin at this, surprise taking up all of his face. Armin’s mouth twists into a deep frown, “This is why I called you… This guy, Harbinger, he’s been targeting everything, and _everyone_ related to the Reiss incident.” Armin pushes the rolling chair away from the desk to face Eren.

“Eren…” Armin speaks slowly, eyes searching over Eren’s face, watching his reaction carefully, “He got Connie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter One, set and done!
> 
> So, this fic's update schedule will be **Every other Friday at around 7 PM EST** so on a biweekly schedule, but my hope is that I'll be able to move to a weekly schedule once things start to chill out with work and all that jazz.
> 
> Either way, I'll see you two weeks from now!
> 
> (Should I do one of those 'Next Time on Rise and Fall' things they used to do on old TV shows? As a teaser for what comes next? Maybe. Tell me your thoughts!)
> 
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a few minutes late, traffic on the way home and such. Either way! Here's a bit of an origin-story-ish chapter. While it's not Eren's _origin_ story, it is the start of him becoming a hero from being a-... well, you'll see. Also the first appearance by a rather important character. Enjoy!
> 
> Come talk to me:  
> goldie-the-cat.tumblr.com
> 
> Updates tagged  
> fic rise and fall

_Three years ago_

Eren jumps off of a self-made platform of energy, rocketing himself above the gap between two rooftops. He looks down below, beneath his red and black two-tone boots and watches the lights of the city blur underneath him like a multicolored ocean of light. A grin spreads across his face with the knowledge that while they appear like fireflies to him, he is but a blur of shadow against an already starless sky to them. Concrete overtakes his vision as he lands on the next highrise roof.

They will be none the wiser.

Eren stands, stretching his back as the muscles pop and crack, looking at how his own black, gloves make his hands disappear against the night sky, slowly fading into a red ring around his torso before the gradient goes back to black at the feet. He tugs on the edge of the mask, covering his eyes before one side swoops down, curving under Eren’s chin. It hides his identity well enough, after all, nobody has ever figured out the true name of the dangerous outlaw, Dissident. A name well earned, Eren adds with a smug grin, recalling the many failed attempts to catch him, often ending up with an injured cop or two, and once, a still blaring patrol car balanced precariously atop the statue of the Sina City Mayor. The policemen inside were far too frightened to move and disrupt the balance.

Tonight, they needn’t fear, for Dissident was going to do that for them. Eren raises his hand, a red glow surrounding the door to the building interior, he swipes his hand to the side and the door goes flying off with it.

“Quite the dramatist, aren’t you, Dissident?” Eren spins on his heels, hands up and ready, red energy buzzing around them, as he stares at the shadowy figure balancing precariously on the edge of the roof. “I never did have time for fancy shit like that.” The figure steps down from the ledge, landing with a soft thud as the citylight bathes their pinched features. Black hair swept back against a pale head, steely grey eyes staring out from an exposed face. The man wore no mask.

Indeed Eren could fully see the slight curve of his nose, the scowl on his thin lips, even the faint darkness under his eyes, exemplified by lines that seem to drag his features into a look of even more displeasure, if such a thing was possible. Not to mention with his hair slicked back, his face was fully exposed. There was only one man who was known to be so bold: Twister, one of the three leaders of the Survey Corp. Eren felt his nerves creep up on him, but he kept his hands raised in aggressive defense. Twister remains unamused.

“How fucking old even are you?” He crosses his black gloved hands across his chest, Twister’s signature outfit was navy blue with black streamlines down the sides… which is exactly what this man is wearing- he’s definitely twister.

“Almost twenty,” Eren can’t help but smirk cockily, “Birthday’s coming up soon.” Twister may be famous, and famously unbeaten, but all that means is that no one’s done it yet, and Dissident is known for setting new records.

“Happy fucking birthday.” Twister’s eyes narrow, the two of them stare at each other for a while, each trying to get the other to back down. Tension practically cracks the air in half. Then Twister’s hands drop, swinging at his sides, “Look, I’ve got shit to do and I don’t want to waste my time. So give up and we can end this before it gets too fucking late.” Twister glances to the side, down at the street where an illuminated billboard displays a moving ad, the time numbered at the bottom.

Eren takes his chance, launching himself forward as he swings his leg up, above Twister’s head, projectiling it down with the added boost of energy. But Twister, as if he’d known Eren was going to do this all along, grabs onto Eren’s leg and flips him over the side of the roof, dangling him above the busy city below with an irritated expression on his face.

“What the shit? Really? _Really?_ ” Twister’s cold silver eye twitches in annoyance, “Did you actually fucking think that would work? I already said I had shit to do, just give up.”

“Yeah,” Eren shrugs, unfazed by the fact that his head was currently suspended over the bright lights of zooming cars several hundreds of feet below. “I guess you’ll just have to reschedule.” With that he twists around, kicking up as his heel connects with Twister’s arm in a satisfying thud. He slips from Twister’s grip and lets himself plummet towards the bright lights.

“Ah, fuck,” Twister hoists himself onto the ledge, prepared to dive after Dissident before he watches the small ring of red energy surround Dissident’s body. Eren rockets above, into the sky, curving over Twister’s head as he cranes to watch Eren’s graceful loop, red light streaming after him like a shooting star. He flips back onto the rooftop behind him with a cocky grin still plastered over his face. Twister feels the edges of his lips quirk in the threat of a smirk, “Not bad,” He mutters before dropping back onto the rooftop from the ledge. Twister stretches his fingers, releasing the tension in them as he feels the wind brush against his skin, waving the brunette hair of Dissident into the brat’s green-blue eyes.

Without a word, they both charge at the same time, Eren strikes hard, throwing a slash of energy into Twister’s path. Twister kicks himself up, flipping gracefully over it, the familiar coolness settling into his bones as his body feels five times lighter. When Twister lands a gust of strong air blows Eren backwards, knocking him off of his feet and throwing him up in the air. Twister gathers wind under his feet, then springs off of it in a catlike motion, pulling knives from his black belt he slashes at Eren. But Eren throws up an energy shield, a wall of red in front of him. Twister simply flies flips over the shield, twisting his body like a feline he claws the knives downward as he turns, feeling them cut into the side of Eren’s arm. Eren bites his tongue to keep from crying out as pain tears through his bicep, and instead takes the chance to grab Twister by the arm, pulling back a fist encased with red energy he throws Twister back onto the roof, preparing to punch him. Twister, however, lands nimbly on his feet, darting out of the way as Eren’s hand goes through the concrete of the roof instead of his body. He gathers the wind under his feet again, and uses it to burst forward in a blur, connecting his fist with Eren’s face the force throws Dissident off of the roof. Eren’s head turns to watch the concrete sail away as the sea of light comes into view once again. He seems to hover there for a moment before closing his eyes, gathering all the energy he can into a concentrated point in his palm, as he begins to fall he launches the beam towards Twister, the force projectiling him farther as his back crashes through the glass window of the building across the street. Twister’s eyes widen briefly when the beam comes zipping towards him, he rolls to the side, arms up defensively, he feels it singe the edge of his abdomen but escapes relatively unscathed. When he glances behind him, he sees the rooftop was not so lucky, and where there was once concrete there is now a long, straight cut through the roof, nearly splitting it in half. The brat’s strong. His eyes turn back to the rooftop, and when Eren doesn’t re-emerge Twister ambles back to the ledge, standing on it he sees the shattered glass of the building across the street.

Glass sparkles like starlight, tinted crimson as blood flows out of the cut on Eren’s arm. Now his hands and knees too as he pushes himself up off of the plush carpeted ground. A quick look around tells him that he’s landed in an office building. Eren’s chest heaves in labored breaths as he walks to the shattered window he’d launched through. He stands on the edge, listening to the blare of car horns below as his eyes scan the top of buildings. He connects eyes with the navy clad figure standing on the roof he once was, uplit by the city light, chin raised, cold silver eyes meeting his from above. Eren can’t help but smile when he sees the singe on Twister’s arms. Very few people can say they’ve hurt one of the Survey Corp leaders. Now all he has to do is live to tell the tale.

Eren sways slightly, he feels lightheaded but he refuses to give up. He looks down to the street below, then back up at Twister, who seems to have seen the swaying. He watches as Twister’s hands twitches, moving forward just the slightest bit before the superhero draws it back. Idea forming, Eren lets himself drop. He closes his eyes and breathes to calm his beating heart as the wind whistles around him. He counts the seconds, one… two- he starts to get panicked, what if it doesn’t work? The idea of a concrete bed isn’t so appealing.

Eren’s eyes snap open just as he feels his descent halted by a sudden stop, and one hand on his back while the other cradles his leg. He turns to stare at Twister, scowl deeper than ever.

“What the fuck were you think-?” Eren doesn’t let him finish the sentence, instead he twists, kicking Twister’s face to the side before wrapping both legs around the superhero’s neck in a choke-hold. Eren gathers energy around him again but Twister cranes his body upward, kicking Eren back as the two part in the air. Eren feels the wind zip by him again before bringing himself to a stop, floating in midair. Twister hovers on the other side, wind moving the man’s black hair this way and that, shifting it out of it’s orderly, slicked back fashion. But a smirk lays on his face. “Clever fucking brat.”

“I pride myself on it.” Eren responds, he hears gasps below as people begin to notice the fight going on above their heads all this time. Eren rockets forward and Twister soars towards him, Eren reels his hand back again but Twister simply flies above the punch, drop kicking Eren from above.

“You never fucking learn, do you?” Twister sighs as Eren grunts in pain. This is bad, and Eren needs to get out of this situation quickly. There was one thing Eren hardly ever did, he knew its destructive powers, and even as an outlaw he rarely ever used lethal force. Not to mention- it could kill him. But Eren’s desperate, and getting more so by the minute. So he begins to gather energy, and the glow around his body grows, before seeming to overlap his skin and seep into his veins. Twister’s eyes widen, and with a sudden realization he tackles Eren, wincing from the growing heat of Eren’s skin. He was going to create an energetic explosion, turn himself into a human bomb, Twister isn’t about to allow that. He picks up speed, flying straight into the air carrying Dissident over his shoulder. Faster, faster, zooming until the two of them are just a blur of navy and black. Twister rises, high above the city, above the clouds that reflect the lights, high enough until the moon is the only lights and stars start to speckle the sky even here, he stops, his hands on fire, Eren’s skin is practically aflame, and then turns, plummeting twice as fast and as far away from the city as he could get, tears spring in Twister’s eyes and both of their skin gets cut up by the sharp winds, blisters forming as the skin is ripped away from the speed, the chill of the fast moving air sending ice shooting through his veins. Then he careens into the bay, hitting the water as the waves crash over both of them and the shock of the impact stops the energy from congregating in Eren’s body. Who, with a gasp, chokes on the salty water of the bay. Twister, dizzy, slowly comes to again, and grabs onto Eren’s arm. The two of them swim to the surface, and once they break the water, Twister begins to swim towards the sandy bank, Eren close at his heels.

They drag themselves onto the beach, Twister’s chest heaving, hair flopping into his eyes as he lays on the beach, not caring about the dirty sand getting in his hair and on his costume. Eren coughs, expelling bay water as he struggles to breathe again.

“What… the… fuck…” Twister pants, groaning as he gingerly sits up, “What… in… hell…” He takes a deep breath, regaining composure, “What in _motherfucking hell_ were you _thinking_?” Rage doesn’t even begin to describe the look on his features, “You could’ve been _killed_! And you would’ve fucking _slaughtered_ everyone below!”

“I was thinking,” Eren chokes out the word, his next sentence paused by a fit of coughing, “That you were going to _kill me!_ Ugh…” He rolls onto his back, swiping brunette hair away from his eyes, and immediately regretting it as they start to sting something horrible, “I feel like shit.”

“Yeah, you don’t fucking say! Join the goddamn club, brat!” Twister exclaims, then flops back as well, “Holy crap- I wasn’t, shit,” He winces when he rolls his shoulder, “I wasn’t going to kill you.”

“You weren’t?” Eren repeats, turning his head to look at the man next to him.

“No!” Twister throws his arms up in the air, “I’m a goddamn hero, part of this crap gig is that I don’t get to kill.”

“You talk like that’s a bad thing.” Eren quirks his eyebrows.

“It’s not a-” Twister sighs, “It’s just hard to hold back, that’s all.”

“Didn’t seem like you held back very much there.” Eren observes, poking the wound on his arm gingerly.

“You aren’t fucking dead, are you?” Twister retorts, to which Eren has to admit he has a point. Silence befalls the two of them, filled only with their out of sync breathing as they lay several feet apart, staring up at a starless sky. “Why the fuck are you an outlaw, anyway?”

“It’s hard to hold back,” Eren smiles cheekily, turning his head towards Twister, who stares at him with an incredulous look. Twister rolls his eyes and runs a hand absentmindedly through his hair.

“Don’t be smart with me, brat.” Twister takes a deep breath, then stands, slowly. He rolls his shoulder once more, testing it. Eren sits up as well, but stops when Twister looks at him, messy, windblown and wet hair flopping into steel eyes. “Look, Dissident, I’m not saying you’re good, but you’re not half as bad as those asshats out there flaunting their dicks around in spandex and calling themselves hero, villain, or whatever the fuck else they come up with.” Twister looks to the sky again, “If you ever want to be less shitty, you should come to the Survey Corp.”

“But… I’m an outlaw?” Eren wonders, eyes wide.

“Yeah,” For the first time, Twister looks back at him with a smirk instead of a scowl, “Well so was I.” With that, he launches into the night sky, flying farther and faster until he’s but a speck in the night sky. A star Eren found his eyes glued to, the last words careening around in the tidal waves of his thoughts.

_That was three years ago._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of you may be thinking _Goldie, this is in the **past** , but it's in **present tense** , that's not how you write!_
> 
> I agree, grammatically this is incorrect. _But_ it is purposeful, and will play into the story later on. To avoid confusion, however, I will state (as was stated in this chapter) when the story is taking place in the past.
> 
> If you still get a little confused about when it's past and present... well, that's kinda what I'm aiming for. (As you'll see later on... hopefully.)
> 
> Either way, Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!
> 
> (And because you said yes to this:)
> 
> _Next time on Rise and Fall:_
> 
> _A Huntress, an illusionist, and a mysterious figure. The Shiganshina Trio catch up with an old friend and learn more about the mysterious Harbinger, and we learn a bit more about the Reiss Incident and the Survey Corp of the past._


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